How To Recognise Sleep Disorder Symptoms
Are you worried that your baby, toddler or child may have a sleep disorder?Recognise sleep disorder symptoms in your baby or toddler by spotting extreme fatigue, snoring, heavy breathing, bedwetting, ... and find out how to link it to sleep apnea, sleep terrors, sleep walking, narcolepsy, ... See below for sleep disorder evaluation guidelines.
If you have your toddler or baby not sleeping well, it may be 'just' the normal behavioural sleep problems like difficulty sleeping through the night or self soothing (see sleep disorders in children) or one of the common infant sleep problems.
But it could also be one of the more disruptive, primary sleep disorders in children, like night terrors, bedwetting (enuresis), sleepwalking or sleep talking, sleep apnea or narcolepsy.
Sleep disorder symptoms to look out for
If you think your baby, toddler or also older child may have a sleep disorder, do a sleep disorder evaluation by simply checking for the following sleep disorder symptoms:- Wakes up screaming shortly after going to sleep
May be night
terrors, also called sleep terrors. Babies as young as under
one year old may have these too but they are more frequent in
toddlers and older children.- Sits up, walks or talks, during sleep: seems awake but is not, is not "seeing"
May be sleepwalking
or sleep talking.- Regularly wets the bed after having been dry for several months or having reached the age of 6-7+
May be bedwetting
that requires attention.Top of page
- Snores, mouth breathes or has difficulty breathing when sleeping, also when not having a cold
- Sweats (heavily) when sleeping and/or sleeps restlessly
- Regularly stops breathing for a moment during sleep
- Is excessively tired during the day, also after a seemingly OK night
May be narcolepsy or sleep
apnea. Check further sleep
apnea signs and visit a doctor or pediatrician.- Has difficulty waking up in the morning at normal times
May be narcolepsy or sleep
apnea. Check further sleep
apnea signs and visit a doctor or pediatrician.Remember that each of these symptoms can also happen from time to time, without any disorder bothering your child. It is when it happens frequently and persists, that it may be necessary to take action.
Refer to the list of sleep disorders for a brief definition of each disorder.
Also if you worry, never hesitate to double check and consult your doctor or health advisor when in doubt.
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